Two Thursdays ago, I decided to make the other drink that I spotted in Trader Vic's 1947 Bartender's Guide when I made the Cooper's Ranch Punch earlier in the week, namely the South Sea Dipper. The recipe was not specific as to whether the passion fruit element was nectar, purée, or syrup; I assumed it was nectar (which I lack at home) and merged it with the sugar ingredient idea so as to use passion fruit syrup instead. In the glass, the South Sea Dipper gave forth mint and floral aromas. Next, lime and passion fruit on the sip led to rum and pineapple on the swallow. While the port float looked attractive, it did not add much to the drink. Perhaps increasing the volume to an ounce or more would help here.

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I get some of the flowers from my yard and a lot on my walks home from work at night. There are plenty of edible flowers that I use, but my photos, I also include some that I wouldn't think of serving a guest. Foodsafe ones are nasturtium, bee's balm, borage, pea blossoms, and others, plus there are some that are fine for humans but toxic for pets (bad if you leave the drink out after you're done) like certain lilies. I'm choosing aesthetics over safety here, for the one in this photo is a trumpet vine from my side yard is mildly toxic (but it is not being eaten).

I know that that certain bars get "those orchids" for garnish and either go through a florist or a floral wholesaler for those.

It's a pity florists don't save knocked-off blossoms and put them in clamshells for purchase by home bartenders. I guess I'm just too worried about which flowers would be either poisonous or covered in pesticides to grab them like that.

I do love borage though--it's great when planted with tomatoes, and although it has ugly and leggy stems, the flowers are stunning.

who? what?

The euphemisms are getting a bit stale, suffice to say: four people in Boston -- two of whom are much more prolific writers than the other two (including the originator of this blog, who has no excuse apart from laziness) -- who drink and tell.

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The 2017 collection of 855 drink recipes, bartender tributes, and essays on hospitality from Frederic Yarm, one of the authors of the Cocktail Virgin Slut blog. Available at Barnes and Noble and Amazon.

The 2012 collection of 505 drink recipes, techniques, and Boston bar recommendations from Frederic Yarm. Available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.